ABIA CANDENS. 33 



Commonly distributed, appearing in June. 

 Continental distribution : Sweden, Germany, France, 

 Switzerland, Italy, Russia. 



2. ABIA CANDENS. 



Abia candens, Konow, Rev. d'Ent., vi (1887), pp. 2 and 123. 



Metallic -green, running into blue or coppery tints, especially on the 

 mesothorax and scutellum ; shining ; the knees and tibiae white, the tarsi 

 reddish or brownish-red ; the antennae, with the basal two joints and the 

 basal two-thirds or so of the third, black ; the apex of the club blackish, 

 the base fuscous; wings hyaline, with a yellowish tinge; a broad 

 brownish cloud below the stigma, and another occupying the greater 

 part of the radial cellule. The fourth antennal joint is hardly one-third 

 of the length of the third, and its apex hardly thicker than the apex of 

 the third, and distinctly longer than the fifth ; the club with the three 

 joints moderately distinctly indicated; its basal joint longer than 

 either of the others. Head, with the occiput and vertex, sparsely 

 punctured; the front, cheeks, and clypeus much more closely and 

 rugosely ; the labrum rufous ; mesonotum sparsely, scutellum coarsely, 

 punctured. Abdomen shining ; the segments moderately convex, the 

 base finely punctured, the apex impunctate; the apical segments seri- 

 ceous; the last rufous at the apex. Sheath of ovipositor longish, 

 rufous. Claws bifid. 



The has a velvety patch in the centre of the abdomen as in sericea. 



Length 44 5f lines. 



The general coloration and facies are quite identical, 

 except as regards the antennae, even if in that, with 

 sericea, and it forms a transition between Abia, sensu 

 str. and Zar&a. The distinctions between the two lie 

 in (1) the form of the antennae, in (2) their colour, 

 and (3) in the abdominal segments in sericea being 

 uniformly punctured and almost opaque and more 

 convex, while in candens only the base is punctured, 

 the apical half being quite smooth and shining and 

 impunctate, at least in the ? , for in the $ they are 

 uniformly punctured. 



I am somewhat doubtful as to the specific validity 

 of what I have called candens and sericea. While the 

 difference in the antennas between the typical forms is 

 well marked, yet the intermediate forms lead up so 

 closely to the extremes as to make a clear line of de- 

 marcation very difficult to draw, e.g. the relative 



VOL. in. 3 



